St Martin's Choir

St Martin’s has a strong choral tradition, and is the only parish in Johannesburg to have Evensong every Sunday. The present organist and choirmaster, James Gordon, has sung at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and King’s College, Cambridge, and has conducted choirs in Kenya and South Africa.

Each week the choir sings at the morning Eucharist and Evensong. At the Eucharist we lead the congregation in a number of different Mass settings, a psalm, and we sing hymns and motets during Communion. At Evensong we sing the responses, psalm, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, and sometimes an anthem, as well as the hymns (with plenty of descants for the sopranos!). Once a month we have what we call "Choral Evensong", where the choir sings special settings to the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, and an anthem, often in five parts.

The organ was refurbished by The Organ Builders and is now one of only a few of concert standard in Johannesburg. We have also recently acquired a Yamaha C4 grand piano. These not only enrich our worship, but are used for the concerts which happen on the Third Sunday of the month after Evensong.

We sing for special occasions in the church year such as Christmas, Holy Week, Ascension Day and Advent, and about twice a year we do a concert of a major work in place of Evensong. We have sung Fauré’s Requiem, Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, Handel’s Messiah and Vivaldi’s and Poulenc’s Glorias in recent years. We also sing at parish weddings and funerals on request.

The choir has a scholarship, in memory of Fred Bradford, who died in 2001 after ninety years of choral singing. The Fred Bradford Memorial Scholarship is aimed at senior school pupils and university students, who have a good standard of musicality and sight-reading skills. Scholars are required to attend practices and sing at one service per Sunday, Choral Evensong, and special services/concerts during their school terms. In exchange, the church pays the scholars an amount set each year (roughly equivalent to school music tuition fees).

The choir practises every Tuesday from 5:45pm to 6:45pm in the Choir Vestry. Evensong is from 6pm to 7pm, and the Eucharist from 7:30am to about 9:00am. If you are interested in joining the choir for one or both services, or becoming a Choral Scholar, please contact the parish office on 788-5143, or speak to James Gordon.


Music for Eucharist and Evensong
Date: 5-Sep-10  
Sunday of the year 23rd Sunday of the Year  
   
7:30am SAPB Eucharist Burton
Introit CP 334 Awake, awake Descant
Psalm 24  
Gradual CP 426 Father, hear 2nd tune
Offertory CP 538 O Jesus I have promised Omit v 2
Our Father Merberke  
Communion Agnus Dei - Wood  
  CP 313 My God and is Sheet
Final Hymn CP 388 Begin, my tongue  
     
6pm EVENSONG  
Hymn CP 338 My God, accept my heart  
Psalm 96  
Office Hymn CP 496 Lead us heavenly Father  
Canticles Set G  
Anthem    
Hymn CP 544 O raise your eyes  
Hymn CP 498 Let us, with a gladsome mind  
     
Special occasions
13-Sep-10 19:00 Fundraising Concert for Vuleka Music Scholarship featuring a programme of Baroque music played by Helen Vosloo (flute), Gary Roberts (oboe), Brahm Henkins (bassoon) and Cameron Upchurch (organ)  

APB = Anglican Prayer Book (new prayer book)
SAPB = South African Prayer Book (old prayer book)
CP = Common Praise
G. = Green book (English Hymnal)
R. = Red book (Hymns Ancient and Modern Revised)
B. = Blue book (St Martin’s Songbook)
C. = Hundred Hymns for Today/More Hymns for Today
COC = Cross of Christ
SOF = Songs of Fellowship
CB = 100 Carols for Choirs
AB = anthem book

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